


Maja Hulme, or The Wonders of Working for Natasha Romanov when You Forgot to Sleep

by glittertrashcan



Category: MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Also on Tumblr, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Model!Bucky, Revengingbarnes' 4k Writing Challenge, even steve doesn't have a line but they talk about him so, flirty!Bucky, i just hope this is not too much garbage, it's just stupid, more fluff than anything tbh, there are so many characters i just mention so i did no tag them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 18:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16124063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glittertrashcan/pseuds/glittertrashcan
Summary: "Maja felt her eyes close without her permission. She had been awake for the best part of twenty-four hours.What did awake her was the thundering entrance of the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. He was tall, seemingly very fit under his sadly not tight clothes, had long brown hair and a three-day-old beard. He was wearing a short-sleeved tee-shirt and oh, was that a metal arm? Did those actually exist? And wait, was it actually moving like a real arm?“Am I hallucinating you and you sentient arm, or is life just getting a bit weirder and better at the same time?” "Maja Hulme is just a random student from a random university with a slightly famous good friend and unlike ladies in most work of fictions, she does not suddenly become famous or the lover of a brooding cellebrity. And she's very thankful for it, since she must be looking like a zombie with how long she's going without sleep.





	Maja Hulme, or The Wonders of Working for Natasha Romanov when You Forgot to Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This was written for revengingbarnes' 4k writing challenge on tumblr, but I am posting it here first merely out of convenience. 
> 
> revengingbarnes, I hope this will not disappoint you too much
> 
> Also, the character's name is pronounced Maya but I do not believe in the Americanization of names, so bear with me (or suck it up really).

Maja felt her eyes close without her permission. She had been awake for the best part of twenty-four hours. First, she had had a whole essay on the evolution of translation to write, before going to class. She had been home for less than an hour when she had to hurry up and get to the set. 

Seriously, Natasha owed her one. She loved the woman to death, and her clothing line was inclusive and beautiful, but she had to stop requesting her presence on school days. That shit was way too tiring, no matter how much she loved that job. 

She had met Natasha in uni, when she was a freshman and the redhead was in her last year of design. They had hit it off immediately. They had the same dark humor and habit of not giving a shit about what people said. Now Maja was finishing her license in linguistics and had been helping Natasha for about a year. The woman had been on the brink of folly with how stressed she was about her brand. She needed new models for her brand, and she needed to see them in her clothes to decide if she wanted them, but she didn’t have enough money yet to prepare enough for any size and shape. So Maja had offered to come to the interviews and do quick drawings of the models in one or two outfits Natasha would give her pics of. Natasha and Clint, her best friend and associate, had been elated about the opportunity.

Now, Black Widow had enough money to prepare clothes but they had grown attached to their artist and refused to give the original concept up. Unfortunately, it also meant that the casting went from four or five models to thirty or more. Which meant the process had gone from under an hour to several hours; she had been sitting on the sofa since three in the afternoon and it was now going on eight. Her hands and eyes ached from the concentration she was in when she drew. 

Maja loved drawing. If she hadn’t wanted to pursue translation and linguistics, she would have become an artist. Or tried to, at least. She wasn’t Rembrandt or Artemisia Gentileschi, but she was definitely good enough to do some rough poses. 

Even as exhausted as she was presently, she could hear Natasha and Clint muttering on their own couch. 

“Alright. Nat, what kinda ‘fuck the industry’ vibe do we have for now?”

“I loved Sam Wilson, Brunnhilde Valkyrie, Kamala Khan, Nico Minoru, America Chavez and Ned Leeds. They’re all unique, and if they want, we can look into partnerships with designers from their country of origin if they want traditional clothing style. For the more androgynous part of the line, I thought Loki Laufeyson and Raven Darkholme. I already checked, they identify as non-binary. For the mutants, I had in mind Logan, Johnny Storm and Charles Xavier; people need to see even differences come under different forms. Other than Charles, in the visible disabilities section, I had that teen, Steve Rogers. That guy is a fireball, and his aura is practically physical. We need him. He’s got a hearing aid and a corset. I wish we had more disabled representation this year, but we’ll do with what we’ve got.”

That was the thing with Natasha. The woman had been traumatized and ostracized as a kid. She didn’t talk about it a lot or often, and Maja actually knew very little about it, but what was sure was that Natasha Romanov would rather die than make people feel left out. So every time she held a casting, she always tried to take people who had felt left out in first. She was decided to take anyone over a cisgender heterosexual rich, white skinny abled American girl anyday. Not that she never employed any. She just thought of the youths who would open her magazines and go ‘hey this is me on the front page!’, and maybe, just for once, feel a little bit more like they belonged. And for that, Maja would always root for her friend.

But right now the casting was closing up and all she wanted to do was go home. Technically, they should have been finished. But Steve Fireball Rogers had told Natasha that his friend Bucky had wanted to come, had backed out at the last minute, and was now being dragged to the auditions by Sam. And since Natasha seemed to already have a special bond with the little asshole, she made them wait for that Bucky. What a ridiculous name. Was it even a nickname? Was he also a scrawny teen like Steve? Maja had loved drawing his physique so perhaps this would be fun. 

God, she was so bored and delirious with fatigue that she had started speculating over a total stranger. Clint had gotten out a minute ago to get some coffee and pizzas from the Starbucks and Domino’s around the corner. Maja knew that he didn’t even really like Starbucks but went for the cute Sokovian guy in his thirties that always worked from there. Dozing off, she barely reacted when Natasha left the room, speaking Russian into her phone.

What did awake her was the thundering entrance of the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. He was tall, seemingly very fit under his sadly not tight clothes, had long brown hair and a three-day old beard. He was wearing a short-sleeved tee-shirt and oh, was that a metal arm? Did those actually exist? And wait, was it actually moving like a real arm?

“Am I hallucinating you and you sentient arm or is life just getting a bit weirder and better at the same time?”

Smooth, Hulme, real smooth.

The stranger chuckled and rubbed his neck while lowering his head. That did wonders to his biceps and yeah, alright, she must be hallucinating these guns. He raised his eyes back to her: they were a mesmerizing blue-grey. Her mind almost came up with a storm comparison but brain cells died of the cliché, so it gave up. 

“First of all, it’s not sentient just hella cool, and then, happy to be of service, doll.”

That was entirely not fair. No one was allowed to be good looking and smooth. There had to be like, a law against this. Stipulating that ridiculously good-looking men had no right to also have charm going on for them. 

And maybe now the stranger was looking at her weirdly. That surely had nothing to do with the fact that she was practically drooling on her spot, or that she hadn’t answered him. God, she’d met her future husband for exactly one minute and she was already divorce material, what with her two last brain cells not even being able to fucking connect themselves. 

“Uhm… I, uhm. I’m sorry, I don’t think you told me who you were?”

“Are you Natasha? I’m Bucky, Steve’s friend? I’m looking for Natasha’s auditions.”

That was Bucky??? Alright, that was just impossible. No one could look like that and have such a name.

“I’m not Natasha, I’m Maja, her designated artist. I draw the auditioners in her clothing so she knows what it will look like. She’ll be back any minute by now, she likes to talk to the people before I even start drawing.”

She seemed to be recovering her spirits from their previous state of sheer incapacity to function properly. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as much of an humiliation as she thought.

“And, like, is Bucky really your name? Is it a nickname? Did your parents think it would be a right laugh? It’s like those names, that you can only give to people of a precise age. Like Paul. Or Richard. Or Tim. Or Ariel. When I said those names you imagined people of a particular age and you can’t imagine them at any other stage of their lives. Kind of like Bucky, you know? I can see a witty kid called Bucky, or an old man with a good story behind it, but man, not you. Annnnd this is where I realise that I’ve been rambling, and that I’ve insulted you, and probably your parents. So really, if you just want to deal with Natasha, no worries, I can call her up immediately.”

Alright, maybe this was going to be just as much of a humiliation as she thought. Maja was pretty convinced that she was beet red at that point in the conversation. Natasha might love her, she would never talk to her again if she ruined Black Widow’s reputation. 

“Nah, it’s fine really. Ain’t like you’re the first one to wonder why the hell a grown man goes ‘round callin’ himself Bucky. Name’s James Buchanan Barnes, actually. Parents are history nerds. Also, you’re pretty funny right now, so I’d rather you stay for now, and do your job. How ‘bout that?”

He had a mischievous smirk on his stupidly pretty face, like he could read her thoughts and knew just how much she wanted to stay and draw him.

“Yeah, that would be nice. I’m sorry I have to ask that, but are you comfortable with removing anything?”

“Oh, didn’t know we were already at that point in our relationship, doll.”

Maja had to roll her eyes. She knew he didn’t mean it, and it was strangely endearing. “I can’t draw you if I have no idea what you actually look like. Mind at least taking off the hoodie? If you’ve got a shirt that isn’t too large under that’ll do and,” she paused to study his legs, “your jeans are tight enough that I can get a good idea of your legs’ shape.”

“You’d like to have an idea of what I look like under my jeans, huh?” he said with the most exaggerated wink Maja had ever seen.

“Alright, Barnes. Not that it isn’t really cute that you think this line would ever work on anyone, but I’ve got a job to do here, and I’ve been awake for so long I can taste colours, so could we please just start?”

Bucky made the effort to look slightly sheepish before nodding and looking around the room. Maja directed him to the folding screen so he could undress peacefully. When he came back from behind it, the brunette almost choked on her tongue. Almost. She had pride still. Bucky was fitter than she made him out to be. Sure, she could see that he was already in good enough shape to be a model, but she hadn’t expected to distinguish the outline of his abs through his tank top. Plus, it was obvious that he worked out meticulously: not only was he defined, both his metal and flesh biceps were the same size. It was merely a detail, but one an artist could definitely appreciate. 

Then, she had to gather enough brain cells to actually draw him. That would be the culminating hardship of her very, very long day. She felt she would just pass out on the couch once she was done. She could, Nat would let her sleep there. Yeah, maybe she’d do that…

But first? She had to draw that man who put to shame greek statues (especially in a particular area, she hoped -but once again, it was none of her business). The small part of her that remained professional could already see in which outfits she would draw him. 

There was the half-sleeved white shirt with the tan pants, that would show off his metal arm and his pecs in the best way. There was the polka dots shirt, leather jacket, tight black jeans and boots combo that Nat had probably created in order to generate a baby boom. One of her favourites in the chic section of the magazine was a simple shirt and dress pants, but paired with a velvet jacket and matching loafers.

But that man could be wearing anything, from an ugly blue leather jacket to a jean jacket on top of a flannel on top of a shirt, or straight-up look dress like a hobo, and still look hotter than most of the male population.

Maja started with a few standing positions. She needed to check the way he held himself as much as she could. A model that couldn’t hold their shoulders back was a lost cause. But Bucky couldn’t just be charming, hot as hell and roguish: he also had to be a natural at modeling. Maja had no idea whether he’d done this before. She thought he hadn’t: his poses weren’t perfect at first, and he took criticism very well. He just understood perfectly how she wanted him to move. Almost like he was in her mind. It was as if they moved in tandem, even from afar. The brunette was aware that she simply couldn’t let him go like that. Of course, she would if she had misread the situation. But the more they talked, the more he seemed to be thinking the same. His smiles became somehow softer, and he toned down the charm. Not because he didn’t seem interested, but to replace it by honesty and quick wit. 

And talk they did. Conscious that she needn’t draw his facial features, Bucky kept the conversation flowing for most of the time he spent posing, and Maja happily cooperated. Since Natasha hadn’t arrived yet -damn she was taking her sweet time- she offered to jot down some of Bucky’s background the redhead would want. Thus, she learned he had served in the 107th, where he had lost his arm in a special mission against a neo-nazi group. Ever since, he’d taken the Punch A Nazi trend literally as often as he could, and a lot of PTSD back home. Steve and he had been best friends since first grade, when Steve was already a punk ass stubborn sickly kid, and Bucky had saved him for the first time. Then, he’d proceeded to spend the next eighteen or so years doing the exact same thing. It was easy to see how much he cared for his friend. She also learned that Bucky loved space and futuristic technology. He had little books of drawings Steve had made from his favourite excerpts in science fiction books. He loved it all, from Frankenstein to the most recent, as well as Asimov or Tolkien, or Wells. When it came to music, he liked a bit of everything, but preferred rock. 

Maja, was starting to think they might have been twins separated at birth -which would be quite unfortunate and problematic- or soulmates, or another highly unrealistic and far too dreamy fantasy. Which was why she had to approach the topic that would define where this was headed. Politics. It might seem somewhat heavy for a first, friendly conversation, but she’d had a mishap with a summer fling a year when she went back to Poland with her parents and he turned out, let’s say, rather more conservative than she’d expected. And dating, or even befriending a Trump supporter was never going to happen. It was wholly non-negotiable. From his story about the nazis, and his commando in the war, and also the whole Steve thing, it was unlikely. But one never was too prudent. 

“So… Bucky.”

“Yeah doll?”

“We talked about a lot of things, but we haven’t really talked about more recent things like, the elections or the elected? And I’m not saying you endorse that or anything but I don’t want to assume, one way or another, because it can lead to bad surprises and once again I’m not saying that about you, but one never knows and-”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bucky was standing in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. “I completely understand where this is coming from, no worries. I’m not like that, I promise. I call myself a feminist. I won’t get offended if I hear men are trash because I know how it is: I grew up with a single mom and a sister. Steve is the gayest little shit out there, and I’ve knocked out so many people for saying something I can’t recall the exact number. Black lives matter, Trump is an asshole lying about Muslims and Latinos, et caetera. I’m not saying I’m perfect and that I get it all, but I grew up in a poor, queer neighbourhood. I may have different struggles, but I definitely had some growing up. Now I’m a disabled vet. I can assure you I’m not a bigot.”

“Thank you Bucky, for understanding. I’m actually really relieved right now, both that you said that and that you didn’t think I was being hysterical or whatnot.”

Maja gathered the courage his speech had given her and kissed him on the cheek before saying: “Let’s move on to sitting poses, alright?”

Bucky nodded and went to sit on an ottoman. The brunette thought she glimpsed a hint of pink on his cheeks.

And maybe making Bucky sit down wasn’t really something she had thought all the way through. The man had thighs divine enough to damn an angel, and the position really brought them out. But Maja didn’t have time to stare. She had a job to do and sleep to catch up on. So maybe, just maybe, getting lost in the way her boss’s potential employee was looking while doing nothing more sinful than merely sitting down was not the best plan for now. She could do that another day when she wasn’t sleep deprived and Bucky had actually agreed to the ogling bit. 

They kept the random preferences conversation flowing while she drew him in the same clothes as before, but this time in different positions. When this was done, Maja asked to draw his arm only. The shape and the colour were both more than aesthetically pleasing, and she was sure Natasha would put that masterpiece to her advantage. Bucky agreed without a second thought. He told her that he’d hated it for a long time, when he got it, because he felt like the only person on this forsaken earth to be cursed with that. It wasn’t until he’d met some people at the VA, especially Sam and Riley, who wore an exoskeleton, that he knew he had never been alone. That was why he’d agreed to the gig in the beginning. Steve had told him that he would be on some actual magazines, and that had been it. The opportunity to show even only one person, that they weren’t as alone as they thought.

And that, more than the looks and the charm, was what did it for Maja. She knew everyone felt that need to belong. And while she had that whole teenage crisis where she felt like she would never belong anywhere, she grew out of it and more or less found who she was. Furthermore, no one had ever gone out of their way to make her feel like she did not belong. What Bucky said was suggesting otherwise. That he’d been able to overcome it, and was now throwing himself under the bus and the spotlight once more, and even harder, just to help a few people for all he knew, was immensely chivalrous.

“Maja, doll, you okay? You’ve been kind of gaping for a minute there, not that the fish out of water look doesn’t suit you, but I’m getting kind of worried.”

“Can I take you out on a date?” she blurted out.

Wow, way to go Humle. Could you fuck things up more spectacularly?

She really was an idiot. No matter how much she liked Bucky, or how much he seemed to like her, that was nothing less than rude and preposterous. If anyone had asked her out with such finesse she’d be awfully offended. And indeed, the man looked surprised. Then confused. Before pouting. And now he was looking somewhere between upset and kind of angry and great, she’d just ruined one of Natasha’s best candidates.

“So. Not. Fair, Hulme. Was totally still figuring how to ask you out very much suavely at the end of this erotic session, and now you ruined it, because I can’t bring myself to say no even if it’s to ask you the same thing in ten minutes. Since you effed my perfect proposal up with your adorably sad attempt, you owe me another date so let’s exchange numbers to schedule one and two at a time where your eyebags don’t reach your feet. I also want to precise that that attempt so would have included a cheesy reference to Titanic, like it or not.”

It would have been entirely possible to cook an egg or some toast on the brunette’s cheeks at the moment, but she did not test that theory, preoccupied as she was with understanding Bucky’s words, scrambling to get her phone, and then blushing some more when she realised that he could totally see how exhausted she was the whole time. Stellar first impression.

Maybe it hadn’t been that bad though, if she’d somehow managed to land a date.

“Gosh, I’m sorry. Could have gone better, I gotta admit that. But you’re… have you looked into a mirror lately? I kind of wasn’t sure you’d say yes; not that I think I’m a troll, but this is far from my best look and you’re really handsome.”

“I happen to think you look quite cute at the moment, even though you do resemble a ruffled puppy with how tired you are. So I suggest you sleep all that off, take your time to think clearly and then text me back, alright? I can’t have you regretting it.”

Suddenly Bucky was looking much shier than he had before. It was almost as if he were convinced she would come to her senses and reject him. She obviously noticed his discreet look to his prosthetic, because she was waiting for it. She walked closer to him and took the metal hand in hers. The man was clearly astonished at her doing so.

“I don’t have a lot of experience with disabilities, but I’m willing to learn. This is a proof of how brave you are, and not a thing I should be disgusted by.”

At Maja’s words, he smiled broadly and shyly altogether before settling on coy.

“That actually means a lot to me, doll, that you’re even willing to try. Had a few people run the other way when I took the shirt off.”

“But you already know I won’t. First off, because I’m not an asshole; and then because I’ve seen it, and I have absolutely no problem with it.”

Bucky kept on smiling and Maja felt compelled to peck him on the lips then, so she did. Which was of course, just as Natasha and Clint entered the room again. He had barely passed the threshold that the man was already doubled over in laughter. Natasha was slightly scowling for the sake of it, but did not have her murder glare on, so the brunette thought they had a chance of getting out of there alive. 

“Humle, I cannot even let you alone with my models five minutes that you’re already seducing them. What in the lord’s name am I going to do with you?”

“Let me get away with it because you can pay me in food?”

Natasha quirked an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless. “Both of you, outta here now. Barnes, you got the job. Actually, you did before you went up.”

The way she was looking at Maja might have seemed mysterious to unknowing parties, but she knew the look meant there was a reason Bucky was still sent up if he had the job. Clint had had enough Natasha reading classes to understand it too, and began genuinely roaring with laughter. 

“Oh man, this is gold. Wish you’d told me before, Tash.”

And alright, that was it, Maja was exhausted and a bit annoyed, she was leaving. She grasped Bucky’s hand harder -she had never let it go- and pulled him towards the door and the stairs.

“Sorry. They can be a bit much sometimes, but they’re good people, and you’ll love working with them: they all do.”

“‘They’? All the guys you seduce for the sake of the model industry?” Though his tone was teasing, there was definitely an underlying seriousness in there. Perhaps he just wasn’t as confident as he seemed to be. Maja guessed she would just have to compliment him more. Starting now.

“Nah, golden boy. You’re the only guy I’ve flirted with in a while. I usually tell myself just don’t have the time for a relationship, but… this time. It’s different. I figured I couldn’t just draw you and never see you again. That would have felt totally wrong. Maybe I’m not making much sense but…”

“You do actually, Maja. I also felt drawn to you, like I just couldn’t pass this up. So I’m guessing you’re still on board for that date?”

“I am, yeah. Now even more than earlier.”

“Good, that’s- yeah. Can I drive you back to your dorm?”

“And a gentleman at that! No, I’m glad you asked, the bus at this time of the day is a hassle.”

So Bucky drove the brunette back to her dorm. On his motorcycle. With her arms around his waist, and both of them shivering, and god was this thrilling. It might have been the adrenaline, it might have been Bucky, but they were on each other the moment they arrived, and he was pressing her up against the wall seconds after. 

As the gentleman he actually was, Bucky Barnes asked her time and time again if she was sure about what they were doing, and about to do, and had done. And you know what? Lying in her bed, Bucky’s arm around her and her head on his shoulder, she had never felt more sure about anything in her life.


End file.
